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Bone Reapers
"The death march begins! Brothers of the Scourge, reapers of bone, heed the call of the Mortarch! Let the ground stain red with the blood of the fallen. The Imperator Mortifex watches over us! Leave only ashes and misery in your wake! Bones and dust!" "Bones and dust!" - Liege Immortis Aginor during the Second Campaign of Damnation, ca. 501.M41 The Bone Reapers are a Loyalist Successor Chapter created from unknown genetic lineage in late M40, during the 25th Founding, the so-called 'Bastion Founding' - one of several newly incepted Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes - created to stand fast against the myriad threats that assailed the realm of Mankind. Formerly known as the Revenant Lords, this young and bellicose Chapter was eager to prove themselves in the eyes of their elder cousin Chapters. Almost immediately, their Chapter fleet took to the stars, intent on bringing the sword of wrath and retribution to the enemies of Mankind. Striking like an inferno upon the battlefield, they did not simply castigate but instead ravaged their foes, a deadly weapon that could not be directed or controlled, only endured. Indeed, as the centuries passed, the atrocities and callous acts committed by the Revenant Lords seemed to grow to near-epidemic proportions, as calls for the Chapter's formal reprimand were brought to the attention of the High Twelve themselves. Despite their effectiveness as a tool of retribution in the arsenal of the Imperial war machine in the castigation of recalcitrant worlds or against those Chapters that had fallen to the corruption of the Dark Gods, their savage displays of barbarity and unsubstantiated rumours of bloody rituals could no longer be ignored. The Chapter was formerly censured by the High Twelve and kept under constantly surveillance by members of the Inqusition's Ordo Astartes. However, due to their highly active and Crusading nature, it was difficult to track the Chapter, as they often sent several detachments across the width and breadth of the Imperium to fight a myriad of conflicts. However, the Chapter's true nature would be brought to light in 910.M41, almost by accident, during the events of the Imperial campaign known as the Red Blade Wars upon the rebellious hive world of Gloriam Secundus, when the majority of the Revenant Lords' 1st Company fell into an uncontrollable killing frenzy and began to attack their allies from the Murdering Sons Chapter. The resulting conflict between the two Chapters was only averted through the timely intervention of the Inquisition and a large Crusader host of the Black Templars. Their shame revealed to all, the Revenant Lords would voluntarily undertake a five decade-long Penitent Crusade for the role they played in the internecine conflict. It was while the Chapter was crusading near the Eastern Fringe against the vile threat of the Tyranids that they were greeted by a small envoy from the venerable Blood Angels Chapter, led by High Chaplain Astorath the Grim, who revealed the truth of the Chapter's genetic lineage. At long last, the Revenant Lords came to understand the nature of the afflictions that had plagued their Chapter for centuries - and had hitherto been unable to explain - and had worked so diligently to conceal from outsiders. Embracing their heritage as one of the many Chapters of the Blood, the Revenant Lords renamed themselves the 'Bone Reapers', vowing to reap the bones of their enemies in honour of their gene-sire, the angelic Primarch Sanguinius. Slowly, the Chapter has begun to accept the traditions and customs of their Progenitors, though their newly formed order of Sanguinary Priests yet struggle to curb the worst excesses of the Chapter's inherited warrior culture and blood practices. Chapter History Inception As the 40th Millennium drew to a close, the Galaxy was set upon by a multitude of threats - from within, without and beyond. During this tumultuous era, the Imperium was seemingly beset on all sides - the powers of the Archenemy had begun to wax nigh, as hundreds of worlds fell into open rebellion and Chaos Cults of every ilk revealed themselves. To make matters worse, a new alien menace in the form of the Tyranids smashed their way into the known galaxy. Meanwhile, several xenos that would have never dared defy the Imperium before now brazenly struck out against the Emperor's domain. To counter these encroaching threats, the High Lords of Terra deemed it necessary for a new Founding of Adeptus Astartes Chapters to take place. Operating far afield of the Imperium's boundaries for extended periods of time, the newly incepted Revenant Lords operated solely from their substantial warfleet as part of a perpetual Imperial Crusade, similar to such notable Chapters as the Wardens of Orask and the savage Megalodons. Like the latter Chapter, the Revenant Lords preferred to make use of the rare operational strategy known as the 'Nomad-Predation'. Self-sufficient and self-contained, this enabled the Chapter to sustain themselves without any Imperial support nearly indefinitely. However, due to their isolationism and propensity for recruiting from the most deadly of feral worlds, the Chapter had seemingly inherited the savagery and bellicose demeanour inherent in such barbarous gene-stock. Many Imperial savants believe this was how the Chapter inherited its callous indifference when dealing with the average Imperial citizen, heedless of collateral damage or the overall welfare for those for whom they were created to protect. The continuous wars fought in the Emperor's name had bred within the Bone Reapers' hearts a cold and grim demeanour, and a casual disregard for suffering and death. Rage and Blood As the centuries passed, the Chapter began to be plagued by a strange affliction that saw a portion of their battle-brothers being overcome with a brooding hunger for blood and death that was as terrifying as it was effective. Once committed to battle, they would not relent, did not retreat, and could not be stopped. They fought until the enemy was utterly destroyed and paid no heed to the thought of mercy, leaving massive graveyards in their wake. The stench of death and madness was ever on them, making their presence on the eve of battle, unwelcomed by their fellow Imperial allies. The Chapter became a dangerous and highly effective weapon, however, they were unsheathed only in the direst need and then once again, hidden away again, until such time that the High Lords would call upon them to enact retribution. The Revenant Lords accepted their lot with grim pride, never shirking the mantle they wore in His name and never baulking from the tasks assigned them. The fate of the Revenant Lords stood upon a knife's edge. Though deemed a necessary, but unsightly weapon, these gore-spattered and ruthless warriors helped hold back the unending tide of xenos and Chaos marauders that threatened the stability and security of the Imperium of Man. Despite the many victories achieved by this unrelenting Chapter, ultimately, these triumphs were marred by the sight of blood-smeared Astartes stalking the field of battle, seeking out the fallen and wounded champions of the enemy amongst the corpse-choked field, in order to feast upon their flesh and blood, though few among their detractors truly understood the purpose of their grim fixation and practicality. However, with each bloody deed and merciless act committed by the Revenant Lords, the call for the Chapter's former castigation by the Senatorum Imperialis could no longer be ignored. Blood and Death Though a potent and highly effective Chapter in the persecution of their duties, the Revenant Lords' reputation had become darkly-famed for their cruel and unusual tactics, especially in the use of terror and psychological warfare. Extant reports during this era make mention of these Astartes killing and consuming enemy prisoners, displaying their ravaged corpses upon the walls of fortresses to demoralise the enemy. Unknown to the average mortal however, was the practical purpose of such horrific and bloody acts, as the ingestion of flesh helped the Astartes' omophagea implant absorb the genetic material and extract memories and experiences of their fallen enemies - a highly effective tool to secure vital intelligence. The Revenant Lords soon began to incorporate their Chapter's secret bloody rituals into their doctrines of battle, tearing apart the enemy on the field of battle or indulging in bloody feasts to break their foes' morale and set panic in their ranks. However, the graphic display of these gore-splattered Astartes ripping the throats out of a fallen enemy or captured prisoner had a powerful psychological impact, giving rise to the many stories of flesh-eating and blood-drinking rituals utilised by the warriors of this Chapter. The Revenant Lords did little to dispel these rumours, and continued their bloody-handed practices, coming to embrace this invaluable tool of terror-inducing horror. The Chapter well understood the role of their macabre legend in war, most often choosing to stage their assaults at dusk or dawn, and took to decorating their armour with a variety of charnel images and the bones and skulls of their defeated enemies, adding further to their macabre reputation, This last practice of decorating their battle-plate with bones of the dead gave rise to a new epithet amongst the rank and file of the Emperor's mortal armies - the 'Bone Reapers'. Despite their effectiveness against the most stalwart of enemies, alone and far from aid, the Chapter's sinister reputation they had gained hung about them like a shroud, lessening their achievements and creating much acrimony between themselves and other more 'civilised' Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Created as they were to fight against the most vile of monsters of the darkest reaches of the galaxy, in doing so, they risked becoming creatures far more foul than those they fought. Darkness Revealed It was during the closing century of the 41st Millennium that the inherent darkness of the Revenant Lords would be brought to the light - revealed to all. Within Imperial annals, the campaign that would come to be known as the Red Blade Wars would be fought within the isolated, but vitally important industrial Ilmarinen sub-sector which contained three manufactorum worlds and several smaller industrial moons that produced much of the weapons and armoured vehicles of several Astra Militarum regiments located in multiple adjacent Imperial sectors. These industrial worlds included the vitally important capital hive world of Gloriam Secundus, a forge fane of prodigious output which had the ability to produce several examples of god-engines utilised by the Collegia Titanica. The entire sub-sector had fallen to the predations of a large force of marauding Ork invaders intent on acquiring the Imperial manufactorums for their own nefarious purposes. The vital manufactorums of the capital world could not be allowed to remain in the hands of the vile greenskins, who would assuredly put the massive industrial complex to the creation of foul makeshift creations, such as Mega-Gargants, to be used against nearby Imperial systems. When word reached Segmentum command of the sub-sector's fall, an Astropathic call for aid was hastily dispatched. They were not long in waiting, as two Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes quickly answered the call to arms - the Revenant Lords and the Murdering Sons, another fearsome Chapter of ill-repute and darkly famed reputation. Both Chapters were of similar mien and bellicose in temperament, and rightly feared for their fanaticism in delivering the Emperor's retribution. Though both Chapters agreed to work in tandem with one another, throughout the campaign, they both vied with one another to claim the most victories. Matters would finally come to a head upon the the hive world of Gloriam Secundus. Without preamble or coordination with their fellow Chapter, the Revenant Lords launched a planetary assault upon the greenskin forces occupying the hive capital below. As their drop pods crashed into the ground and disgorged their deadly payload, the Revenant Lords broke through the greenskin throng with contemptuous ease, relieving the beleaguered planetary defence force defenders. The Chapter continued to press its attack towards the main industrial sector as the Murdering Sons attacked the cantonments of the Orks located in the northern sector of the hive capital, their superior arms and armour allowing them to seize control and cast out the Ork warriors they came across with uncompromising brutality. However, as the Revenant Lords pressed towards the industrial district located in the center of the hive capital, they encountered an unending deluge of greenskins, whose forces were augmented by dozens of Killa Kanz and Deff Dreads, which threatened to encircle and overwhelm the enraged Astartes. Though the Revenant Lords fought doggedly, killing scores of the enemy for each battle-brother lost, the sheer numbers of the foe began to force them back. Attempting to regroup, the remaining companies formed a spearhead in an attempt to break through the Orks and reach the distant banner poles that signified the position of the greenskin horde's warlord. As the tip of the Revenant Lords' formation threatened to reach the encampment of the Ork Warlord, the brutal greenskin commander unleashed his cabal of Weirdboyz upon the unsuspecting Astartes. Calling upon the power of the WAAAGH!, reality rippled and tore, as green lightning reaped a hideous toll of casualties amongst the Space Marines and Ork horde indiscriminately, slowing turning the tide of battle. Enraged at the Orks' duplicity, the Revenant Lords were forced to quit the field of battle or be utterly destroyed, a choice that might have doomed other more honour-bound Chapters, but not the pragmatic Revenant Lords. The Astartes turned and hacked a bloody path through the throng with toothless chainswords, broken blades, empty bolters and the cracked pieces of their own fallen comrades' battle-plate. Two whole companies were lost in the monumental battle, but the Revenant Lords remained undaunted and undeterred from achieving their goal. Hearing word of the Revenant Lords' temporary setback, the Murdering Sons fought all the harder to reach their beleaguered ally's position. The Murdering Sons Chapter Master, Torture Lord Knull Evlon, contacted the Revenant Lords' Mortarch (Chapter Master) and laid out his plan for a spearhead assault that would see an end to the threat of the Orks, and end their rampage once and for all. He concocted a co-ordinated decapitation strike upon the Ork Warlord's position while both their forces renewed their assault upon the outskirts of the warlord's position, attacking several dozen ork positions at once, distracting the greenskin forces from the Astartes' true goal. Ever-prideful, the Revenant Lords were wont to accept any assistance from outsiders - even that, from a fellow Space Marine Chapter. To balm their wounded pride, the Torture Lord offered the Revenant Lords the esteemed honour of spearheading the assault. The Mortarch agreed, and so, the two Chapters launched their audacious plan to eradicate the greenskin menace from the face of Gloriam Secundus. Undertaking their strategy, both Chapters launched several smaller co-ordinated assaults upon the Orks' positions throughout the hive capital, drawing away the majority of the warlord's forces to help shore up their defenses. The Revenant Lords and Murdering Sons harried and beset the enemy, who resisted with great stubbornness and ferocity, fighting to the bitter end on every outpost and imposing upon the Astartes forces a high cost for each position that fell. The Revenant Lords staged ambushes and feigned retreats, drawing the greenskins towards craters rigged with blasting charges to stymie the Orks' advance. Reaping a heavy toll against the greenskins, it was at this moment that the Terminator-armoured formations of both Chapters' elite 1st Companies launched their decapitation strike upon the orks warlord's position. Once again, the ork warlord unleashed his Weirdboyz against the invading Astartes, with the Murdering Sons Terminators taking the brunt of the warlocks' psychic attack, but the sheer firepower they brought to bear helped overcome the mighty bolts of searing ectoplasm energy unleashed by the ork psykers in a hail of high-explosive rounds. Meanwhile, the Revenant Lords elite 1st Company, the Necrophoroi, teleported directly in the center of the warlord's makeshift fortress, and quickly overcame the warlord's feeble defences. His Weirdboyz dead and his fortress in ruin, the Ork warlord attempted to flee as the Revenant Lords proceeded to continue slaughtering the few greenskin forces that remained. What exactly occurred next is obscured by the fog of war, however, eyewitness accounts and several helmet-feed captures indicate that some of the Necrophoroi were afflicted by some sort of blood-madness that saw them unleash their killing rage upon their own allies. The Revenant Lords no longer fought with cool reason and righteous might, but with a berserker's madness, their minds consumed by what some Imperial scholars believe was the manifestation of the Blood Angels' genetic curse known as the Black Rage. Unstoppable, they longer distinguished friend from foe, and all that stood in their path was obliterated. In their madness, the Revenant Lords' thirst for blood could not be slaked, and tragically, they cut down not only a good portion of the warriors of the Murdering Sons' 1st Company, but their Chapter Master as well. Notable Campaigns *'Second Campaign of Damnation (501.M41)' - During this campaign, the renegade Sons of Damnation finally faced the Imperium's wrath for their transgressions, but this time they would not be facing heretic forces, but fellow Space Marine Chapters. The Sons of Damnation did not care for their old loyalty to the Emperor, for they were wholly corrupted and ready to kill in the name of the Dark Gods. The Inquisition ordered three Space Marine Chapters to take part in the eradication of the heretic Sons of Damnation - the Revenant Lords,Astral Claws and Void Ravens Chapters. This campaign would take place upon Lightrim, the Chapter homeworld of the Sons themselves. When the three Chapters landed on the surface, they first encountered what appeared to be Frateris Militia - masses of the Imperial Cult's most zealous faithful who often gathered to fight wars of faith against the enemies of the God-Emperor. But in reality, they were actually Chaos Cultists, wholly given over to the Ruinous Powers. There were many tainted psykers within their ranks who had been given fell power by the Sons of Damnation, making them formidable opponents and powerful with the malefic magics of the Dark Gods. The ranks of these ill-trained rabble numbered in the tens of thousands, but they proved no match for the transhuman Astartes that assaulted their ranks. In order to make their way towards the Sons' fortress-monastery, they had to fight their way through the capital city of Gloryrim. They purged the Chaos corrupted city with bolter, blade and cleansing flame of its foul denizens. This event would come to be called 'The Dark Purging'. Before the Loyalist Astartes were able to reach the fallen temples at the base of the mountain where the fortress-monastery was perched at its peak, the Sons of Damnation were able to reach it first, which would prove to be a bloody blow to all Chapters of the loyalist forces. Pre-positioned and dug in, the Sons set up deadly kill zones in anticipation of the loyalist assault. When the loyalists arrived, the Sons reaped a fearful tally, all but halting their advance. Captain Kel'Thuzad held the loyalist forces for about four hours. However, they were not able to control it for long, as the Loyalists eventually broke through the Sons' lines. Kel'thuzad was ordered to hold off the loyalist forces, to enable Chapter Master Colmev'um to reach his apotheosis as a Daemon Prince, however, Kel'thuzad had different plans, which would end the fighting quickly. Kel'thuzad took his men to the Master's Domain, were the Chapter Master was enacting a dark ritual, as the loyalists opened fire on their fortress-monastery. Kel'thuzad was done being controlled by bands of slavery - he wanted true power as well as the favor of the Dark Gods. Both Tzeentch and Slaanesh twisted the mind of Kel'thuzad to betray his master and take his role as the newly appointed Chapter Master. Kel'thuzad willingly obeyed the will of the Dark God and slew Colmev'um. He was then granted their favour and was given Colmev'um's dark powers, and quickly instilled himself as a self-serving tyrant. He gathered his remaining warriors and fled to orbit, were they would make good their escape and search the galaxy for yet more dark powers to attain for themselves. *'Blood Wars (910-911.M41)' - During the campaign known as the Red Blade Wars, which occurred in 910-911.M41, the Revenant Lords fought alongside the Murdering Sons, a fearsome Chapter of some ill-repute, upon the hive world of Gloriam Secundus to cleanse it of the foul taint of greenskins. Throughout the campaign, the two Chapters vied with one another to claim the most victories. It was on the capital world of Gloriam Secundus where matters between the two Chapters would come to a head. During the Battle of Hive Ebonspire, the ferocious counter-attack was spearheaded by the Revenant Lords' 1st Company elite, the Necrophoroi, which helped to drive off the attacking Ork forces. But it is here that the fog of war obscures the truth of the events that occurred following the final counter-attack. It is not known, with any certainty, which Chapter was responsible for starting the feud that continues to this day. Evidence compiled from pict-captures, vox traffic, witness testimony and helmet feeds taken from fallen Astartes on both sides, would paint a general picture of the dire events that surround that fateful day. Many Imperial scholars believe that some of the Bone Hunters had fallen into the throes of the Blood Angels' genetic curse known as the Black Rage, and continued their indiscriminate slaughter even after the Orks had been annihilated. The afflicted Revenant Lords tore into the Murdering Sons' ranks, unable to distinguish between friend and foe, and so, the Revenant Lords brutally butchered many of their own cousin Astartes, including the Murdering Sons' Torture Lord (Chapter Master) Zaphon Evlon. Outraged by the actions of their supposed 'allies', the enraged Murdering Sons turned their wrath upon the rest of the Revenant Lords in a hail of bolter fire. When testifying before a formal Inquisitorial tribunal, many surviving Bone Reapers maintained that it was the Murdering Sons who had instigated hostilities between the two Chapters. They had a reputation for arrogance and would often provoke their fellow Astartes for their perceived failings, which sometimes resulted in violence. Whatever the truth of the matter, what is known with any certainty, is that the resultant battle saw brother-fighting-brother, with the death of many dozens on either side. The fighting devolved into a savage war of attrition between the two Chapters, which resulted in the loss of over half their number on both sides. With the two combatant Chapters refusing calls to end their feud and aid with the pacification of Gloriam Secundus and its surrounding conquered worlds, an Ordo Astartes Inquisitor, leading three large Crusade forces from the Black Templars, were despatched to sunder the two and end the internal strife. In the decades after, both sides would claim that the other Chapter was responsible for setting in motion the terrible chain of events that led to their confrontation. This conflict is a source of pride for both Chapters, and a source of secret shame. Though both claimed victory, each Chapter feared that they had actually lost, and in truth, the battle proved bloody but inconclusive. In retribution for their disreputable actions, both Chapters were forced to undergo a fifty-year long Penitent Crusade for taking up arms against one another. This conflict has created lasting enmity between the Revenant Lords and the Murdering Sons Chapters. Both have sworn vengeance upon the other should the opportunity arise and each Chapter has banned one another from entering their respective demesnes. This terrible event came to be known forevermore as the 'Blood Wars'. Chapter Homeworld To maintain their viability as a fully-functioning Chapter and replace their losses in manpower due to the vagaries of warp travel or losses sustained during extended periods of conflict, the Bone Reapers prefer to recruit from several feral worlds around the Eye of Terror. These hardy and deadly stock of humanity that have manage to strive on such inhospitable worlds, make for an ideal recruitment pool of potential future Astartes. Having recruited from a number of these planets for several centuries, the Chapter has inherited the various savage cultures and traditions of these deadly worlds, displaying a savage and bellicose mien. When the Bone Reapers make war, they strike with the ferocity of a tsunami, sweeping aside all opposition in a fury of brutal assaults. The Astartes of this Chapter has also displayed a stubborn resilience and painful endurance that allows them to stand resolute in the face of overwhelming odds and in the harshest conditions. They do not manoeuvre in fanciful patterns decreed by the Codex Astartes, instead standing their ground in the face of an enemy assault until their foes falter, before striking back with absolute and overwhelming force. They have also learned to overcome any environment or situation through painful endurance, enabling them to function in almost any role or environment. This has seen the Bone Reapers deployed to the most dangerous 'Zone Mortalis' war zones throughout the galaxy, particularly those regions corrupted by the touch of the Ruinous Powers or ravaged by deadly chemical weapons and rad-phages. Fortress-Monastery As the Bones Reapers have no true home world they call their own, they instead utilise their flagship, the Ossus Damnatio as their de fact, mobile fortress-monastery. Chapter Organisation Officer Ranks *'Mortarch' - Chapter Master equivalent. *'Morghast' - Captain equivalent. *'Mortisan' - Lieutenant equivalent. Specialist Ranks *'Liege Immortis' - Reclusiarch, Master of the Faith equivalent. *'Immortis' - Chaplain equivalent. *'Liege Mortek' - Master of the Forge equivalent. *'Mortek' - Techmarine equivalent. *'Liege Necrophoros' - Chief Librarian equivalent. *'Necrophoros' - Librarian equivalent. *'Hekatoi Primus' - Chief Apothecary equivalent. *'Hekatoi' - Apothecary equivalent. *'Anvilar Primus' - Master of the Forge equivalent. *'Forge Adept' - Techmarine equivalent. Line Ranks *'Scourge Primus' - Veteran Sergeant equivalent. *'Scourge' - Sergeant equivalent. *'Revenant Brother' - Battle-Brother equivalent. *'Novice' *'Aspirant' Specialist Formations *'Necrophoroi' - Known also as the 'Bone Hunters', these unrelenting killers serve as the Chapter's elite. Forming the Mortarch's personal honour guard, these deadly warriors are arrayed in formidable and deadly relic Terminator Armour - the epitome of death and shrouded dread. A cloying mist always precedes one of their furious assaults from unexpected quarter, Like deadly wraiths, they are all but impossible to slay. Clad in the finest patterns of Terminator armour and armed with the Chapter deadliest relic weapons, they are a fearsome close combat assault and vanguard spearhead unit, against which few enemies can stand. In battle, they advance upon the foe relentlessly, heedless of enemy fire, as they descend like spectre of death itself, slaying any enemy driven to rout before them, and claiming their fallen foe's bones and skulls to add to the macabre decorations of their battle-plate. *'Mortek Guard' - Honour Guard equivalent. Order of Battle Headquarters Companies Chapter Beliefs The Bone Reapers have inherited the indigenous and unique cult belief system and martial philosophies from the savage death worlds from which they recruit potential future Astartes. However, the Bone Reapers' obsessive veneration and fascination with death is of a more extreme variety and has at times brought some unwelcome Inquisitorial scrutiny. The Chapter venerates the God-Emperor as the "Imperator Mortifex" - the ultimate judge of the souls of the dead - and accordingly the Astartes of this Chapter have come to see themselves as His harbingers of death. The morbid funerary rites in which the Chapter engages are led by an Immortis (Chaplain), who are recruited from amongst the priest class of their primary recruitment worlds, resulting in a truly unique belief system that is at times quite disturbing. Amongst the many rites practiced by the Bone Reapers following a battle, involves the drinking of blood and the eating of the flesh of the enemy, culminating in the taking of their bones, severing of their heads and flensing of their skulls. These grim trophies will then adorn their armour, both as a psychological weapon and as a reminder of the transient nature that all life is fleeting, and that only in death does duty end. Chapter Gene-Seed Like all Chapters of the Blood, the Bone Reapers have come to believe themselves pure of heart, but not of blood. They too, carry the flaws of their blood heritage on to new generations. Like all latter Founding Successor Chapters, the Bone Reapers are also greatly affected by the twin Flaws of the Red Thirst and Black Rage. Unlike their fellow Chapters of the Blood, however, the Bone Reapers do not honour those who have succumbed to the effects of the Black Rage, for they believe this to be a mark of shame. Once an Immortis starts to notice the tell-tale look in a Battle-Brother's eyes that bespeaks the soon-to-arrive loss of control, he performs a benediction in the name of the Great Angel and the Emperor of Mankind, before taking away all of the Astartes wargear save for his bolter, combat knife and power armour. Like their fellow Blood Angels Successor Chapter, the Templars of Blood, the Bone Reapers do not gather these afflicted Battle-Brothers into a Death Company. Instead, they are gathered into squads called Perdita Damnatio ' ('Lost and the Damned') under the command of an Immortis, where no self-respecting Bone Reaper need look upon his own weakness and inevitable future fate. The names of these battle-brothers are then forever after stricken from the official Chapter rolls. These warriors are then utilised as an extermination corps which also specialised in near-suicidal and all-but-unstoppable line breaker attacks, embracing the touch of death as one might a lost friend. Often, these afflicted warriors are utilised in 'Forlorn Hope' objective assaults and in 'Zone Mortalis' operations. Should an afflicted Battle-Brother suffering from the Flaw miraculously survive the following combat, his company's Morghast (Captain) is required by Chapter tradition to honour the Battle-Brother for his exemplary service to the "Imperator-Mortifex" before executing him outright. Primarch's Curse: (Add Name Here) Combat Doctrine Deathwatch Service Notable Members *'Mortarch Acherus Kurze - Know as 'The First', Kurze served as the Chapter's first Mortarch and spiritual father of the Bone Reapers Chapter. *'Mortarch Bolerin Hallow' - Current Chapter Master of the Bone Reapers, he recently assumed the mantle of Mortarch following the death of Caedus Maraeu during the defence of Baal against Hive Fleet Leviathan. *'Mortarch Caedus Mareau' - Predecessor of Bolerin Hallow, Caedus served as the Mortarch during the Blood Wars. He later fell while battling against the ravenous hordes of the Hive Fleet Leviathan during the defence of Baal. *'Liege Mortifex Daemandred Mortaine' - First Captain and Equerry to the Mortarch. Chapter Fleet *''Ossus Damnatio'' (Relic Battleship, Unknown Class) - Flagship and mobile fortress-monastery of the Bone Reapers Chapter. Chapter Relics Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours The Bone Reapers primarily wear black coloured power armour with portions of their battle-plate coloured silver, including the backpack, helmet faceplate, shoulder pauldron trim, upper portions of their arms, vambraces and gauntlets. The Chapter utilise the ancient squad specialist markings of the old IX Legion on their right armorial to indicate a battle-brother's assigned squad specialty (Close Support, Fire Support, Battleline, Veteran or Command). These markings are stenciled in white. A small roman numeral stenciled on the right armorial inset indicates squad assignment. A larger white coloured numeral, written in one of the feral languages inherited from one of the Chapter's feral recruitment worlds, is stenciled on the left poleyn (knee guard), which indicates a battle-brother's assigned company. Heraldry of the Host Like their progenitors and other Chapters of the Blood, the Bone Reapers have adopted a similar heraldic system, allowing them to recognise what company and squad any given Battle-Brother belongs to at a glance. The advantage of such swift recognition amid the chaos of battle are obvious. More than this, however, the Scions of Sanguinius revere their heraldry, and bear these markings as badges of pride. Unlike their progenitors however, instead of utilising helmet colour to denote rank or operational role, the Bone Reapers have opted to honour their roots to the venerable IX Legion by utilising the archaic squad specialty icons found in the ancient ''Principia Belicose'' This was the principal tome of the Imperial military organisation, strategy and tactics used by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade era. The Bone Reapers also do not utilise the same squad and company markings utilised by their fellow Chapters of the Blood, instead opting to utilise the feral script inherited from the warriors cultures of the death worlds they often recruit from to denote squad and company assignment. In keeping with the tenant beliefs inherited from the warrior cultures in which they recruit potential future Astartes, the Bone Reapers have also inherited savage and barbaric beliefs and incorporated them into a unique cult belief system that is of a more extreme variety. These beliefs are reminiscent of the various "Mortuary Cults" found within some Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The embrace the Emperor of Mankind as the "Imperator Mortifex" - the judge of the souls of the dead and keeper of martyrs. The Bone Reapers believe themselves to be divinely ordained killers - the Emperor's Angels of Death in the truest sense. Caring little for individual glory, they are instead consumed with their self-appointed task as bringers of death to those that would dare defy the will of the Imperator Mortifex or pay allegiance to false gods. The Chapter has been observed to practice many savage and strange funerary customs, including wearing the bones of the fallen or taking the and wearing the flensed skulls of worthy foes upon their battle-plate. They Chapter is well aware of the psychological effect engendered by the wearing of such images of death, and so, in keeping with their namesake, they incorporate human bones into their wargear; skulls are laid over their faceplates, femurs are inlaid along greaves, splayed ribcages adorn plastrons (chest guards), and compacted ground bonemeal is used to trim shoulder pauldrons. Chapter Badge The Bones Reapers' Chapter icon is a large stylised silver skull emblazoned upon a field of black. Chapter Relations Allies *'Blood Bearers' - The Blood Bearers are an ancient and reclusive 3rd Founding Successor Chapter that also hails from lineage of the Great Angels. An extremely reclusive chapter, they are stoutly bound to their progenitors, united by the blood of their Primarch Sanguinius that flows through their veins and ancient traditions that outsiders find difficult to understand. Their loyalty to the memory of their Primarch transcends all other duties and concerns. The Bone Reapers have only just recently encountered their brother Chapter during the Defence of Baal, when they fought alongside them in order to defend their Primarch's home world and planets of the surrounding system against the predations of the Great Devourer. Fighting side-by-side, the venerable Chapter were impressed by the resilience and stalwartness of their younger kin, and over time, developed a sense of camaraderie and rapport was built between the two Chapters of the Blood. The Bone Reapers have vowed to answer the call-to-arms of their elder kindred, should they need ever arise. *'Broken Wings' - The Broken Wings are a now-extinct Loyalist Successor Chapter of the Blood Angels whose origins possible harken back to the dark days of the Horus Heresy. An intrepid and dedicated Chapter, they zealously worshipped their gene-sire and what he stood for. However, this Chapter was forever marred by the shadow of their perceived failure to protect the Great Angel from his inevitable death at the hands of the Arch-Traitor Horus. Vowing to undertake a neverending Crusade, the Chapter took to the stars, bringing the righteous fires of their wrath down upon those that made truck with the Dark Gods. The Bone Reapers had the privilege of fighting alongside their elder kindred during the recent Defence of Baal, to protect their gene-sire's home system from the predations of Hive Fleet Kraken, and witnessed the "beautiful death" of the Broken Wings, when they willingly sacrificed themselves in glorious battle against the hordes of foul xenos. Despite their destruction, the Broken Wings made an impression upon their younger kindred, who continue to honour the fallen Chapter both in deed and word, in an attempt to live up to these exemplars of the Blood. *'Blood Vultures' - The Blood Vultures are a particularly savage and bellicose Successor Chapter of the Blood who possesses a similar mien as the Bone Reapers, as both Chapters come from similar warrior cultures and both practice barbaric and bloody-handed rituals. During the recent Defence of Baal, the Blood Vultures were one of several Chapters of the Blood that the Bone Reapers had the honour of fighting alongside. Being of similar natures, the two Chapters formed unbreakable bonds of brotherhood forged in the fires of battle and have vowed to come one another's aid should the need ever arise. *'Sanguine Templars' - The Sanguine Templars are a venerable and ancient Successor Chapter of the sacred bloodline of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius, gene-sire of the heroic Blood Angels, created during the Second Founding in 021.M31. Formerly, they made up the 7th Company of the original IX Legion. Following their reunification with their winged Primarch upon the world of Baal, he saw the darkness that hung over his sons, but despite their unsavory reputation he saw that they were warriors who held to their own codes of honor with an iron will. Warriors of unequaled zeal, these brethren came to be known as the "Sanguine Templars" due to their relentless determination and matchless skill, which became the hallmarks of this deadly company. Sharing a lineage with the original Legion and their distaste for the break up of the Legions has left Sanguine Templar very close to fellow chapters of the Blood. Enemies *'Murdering Sons' - Since the time of the lamentable event known as the Blood Wars, which occurred in the early 900's.M41, these two Chapters have had a lasting enmity that won't cease. The Bone Reapers claim that it was their erstwhile allies, the Murdering Sons, who fired the first shot and attacked them without provocation. The Murdering Sons insist that it was the Bone Reapers who attacked them first, murdering their Chapter Master in cold blood. Whatever the truth, both Chapters hate each other in extremis, and are forbidden, by order of the Inquisition, to be within the same warzone. Should they ever be in the same proximity, hostilities will most likely resume and the resulting bloodshed and collateral damage would be catastrophic. Notable Quotes By: The Bone Reapers About: The Bone Reapers Gallery Category:Blood Angels Successors Category:Fleet-Based Chapters Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines